Finchem on DJ: We comment if important to do so

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PARAMUS, N.J. – The PGA Tour has a longstanding policy which states that officials won’t comment on punitive measures toward players.

And yet, three weeks ago, in the wake of Dustin Johnson announcing a self-imposed leave of absence and subsequent Golf.com article which reported he was serving a six-month suspension, the PGA Tour issued a statement maintaining that Johnson had not been suspended.

Which begs the question: Does this set a precedent in which Tour officials will now comment on punitive measures toward players?

“Well, we reserve the right to comment on anything we want to comment about if we think it’s important to do so,” commissioner Tim Finchem said Tuesday. “In that case, we felt like the information that had floated in the media was incorrect and needed to be corrected.”

When Johnson made his announcement, he said that he would seek “professional help for personal challenges.” Finchem wouldn’t say whether that help was required by the Tour.

“When he made his statement, we responded by saying that, words to the effect, that we understand his statement and what he’s going to do. We support his decision to do it and we’ll have no further comment.”